Mount Pleasant, Iowa—A man from Rifle will spend the rest of his life in prison for the murder of his estranged wife nearly two decades ago in Iowa. A district judge sentenced 58 year old Michael Syperda to the life sentence for the death of Elizabeth Syperda. She was 22 years old at the time when she disappeared in July of 2000 in the southeastern Iowa city of Mount Pleasant. According to court records, the Michael and Elizabeth were estranged at the time because she was leaving him for a woman. Elizabeth’s body has never been found, no murder weapon has been recovered nor has a crime scene been established. Despite that, the judge says there was enough circumstantial evidence, including threats made by Syperda to determine his guilt. Syperda didn’t say a word and showed no emotion when the judge handed down the mandatory life sentence.
